Demon that is Dreaming
by AngeloftheMorning1978
Summary: Jane Eyre/ Sixth Sense. A&A/AU. Ariadne is a young governess with unusual gifts of seeing the dead. When she arrives for a new position at the home of a troubled Mr. Cobb and his friend Arthur, she can't imagine the horrors that await her.
1. Chapter 1

**Jane Eyre/ Sixth Sense. **

**A&A/AU**

** Ariadne is a young governess with unusual gifts of seeing the dead. **

** When she arrives for a new position at the home of a troubled Mr. Cobb, she can't imagine what horrors await her. **

**~ The Demon that is Dreaming ~**

1.

~ **1880 ~**

~ I felt my broken heart shift and make noise inside of my cold, unfeeling chest.

How could anyone else not hear it? How could they not hear the noise it made when my fragile body moved as the train jarred over the tracks?

My heart sounded like broken china; carelessly packed in a box, with no regard for it's safety or preservation.

It clanked and rolled in my cavernous chest making such noise, it's a wondered it didn't drive me to madness.

The train charged ruthlessly ahead and my seat jostled and lurched as if I were on a stage coach.

'_clickity clack, clickity clack_.' went the train.

My china plate heart was in pieces and made dangerous sounds of more breakage yet to come on this journey.

As was becoming my practice. I covered my ears and let my world fall into silence. My mind reaching back to memories when I didn't have this dead, broken thing sitting uselessly inside my chest.

~ I could never be counted as normal. Ever since I was very young, people suspected there was something wrong with me. They were not hesitant to point it out either.

In a society of valued manners and politeness, it was shocking how those manners were forgotten when faced with something as alien as me.

Thus, when you are ready made not to fit in, you don't fit in.

I was abandoned by my parents at a girls boarding school when I was ten. There, the other girls were merciless and cruel. I spent many hours alone, reading and drawing.

I became an introvert as a means to protect myself.

Truth was, they had every right to be fearful of something like me.

The other girls could sense I wasn't like them, and they were afraid.

See, all this time when I was so alone at school, I was never really alone.

It's laughable to think those times when I was reading or drawing by myself, I was without company. I doubt if I had ever truly been alone.

I've seen them, these specters, ever since I could remember. Most of the time, they are lost. Young soldiers, looking for their way home. Confusion written plainly on their faces as they wandered former battle fields.

As a young child, I had made the mistake of telling my mother about seeing these apparitions. I would describe and draw men with wounds to their bodies no one could survive. I also knew things, about our neighbors that no one could know. Things about their past they had kept hidden. Things these spectators would whisper to me.

Their voices keeping me company.

I could tell by my mothers frightened face, I really was speaking to the dead.

They had to be dead. No other thing made sense other than they were dead. Trouble was, they seldom knew this. Or they were so filled with rage they refused to let go into whatever afterlife awaited them.

As soon as they knew I could see them, they never left me alone.

They would taunt me at night. Pulling the blankets off of the bed I shared with my sister and screaming at me. My family had no idea why I couldn't sleep through the night any longer. Why I was so afraid all of the time.

It was this fear that forced me to go dead inside. I learned to shut them out for the most part. Ignore their cries and pretend not to see them at all. That way, I could be counted as normal.

At seventeen, after many years in school, I left for work as a governess to a family of girls in Boston. My family seemed to have disregarded me and my unusual ways long ago, and I found I was at liberty to do as I pleased.

I enjoyed the move and vocation. The family was obliging and took my hidden, sullen nature to be a mark of good breeding and schooling.

In the years I had lived in Boston, I had begun seeing a nice young man name Tom. We talked often of marriage and a family of our own. It was a happy and hopeful time in my life. Doomed for heart ache in the end.

Boston wasn't much better as far as seeing the dead again. It was an historic city. One filled with activity of the present and past. I saw all kinds of people in places where they once lived and worked. All of them wandering around; searching for something.

I ignored these people, as was my practice, until the day one of the daughters under my care became..._ infested_, for lack of a better word.

The girl, Laurel, always well behaved, started to act very odd. She ate ravenously and started to use bad table manners. She would start to go into hysterics and cry all night.

At first, I didn't see it. Didn't see exactly what was wrong with her. I should have, with all my supposed gifts. Yet, it wasn't until late one night, I heard strange whispers. I went to check on her, following the whispers into her room. That was when I saw the creature perched on her shoulders. Like a gargoyle, roosting on some Gothic church, he sat on her. His red, glowing eyes peering maliciously at me as he knew that I could see him.

"What are you doing here?" I shouted at the creature in a voice that wasn't my own.

The demon became enraged and took flight out of an open window.

Laurel was sent crying to the floor screaming that I was a witch. I ignored her cries as I firmly latched the window shut and looked out at the inky blackness.

Out in the darkness was an army of red eyes. All blinking back at me like bright coals.

The girl became better, although I was struck with a strange illness for several days. I vomited routinely and started seeing the phantoms everywhere. All of them wanting to touch me with their cold hands.

Another strange condition, that haunted me after the incident; I'm always cold.

No amount of heat from a stove, warm weather or coat can cure it. My hands are like ice and I doubt I will ever be warm again.

The family became suspicious and sent me out of the house. Not even Tom would speak to me as the story of the girl and my second sight speared like wild fire among the household and beyond.

I had only one friend in the world now, an elderly school teacher named Miles.

We had met at a book shop and routinely spoke of interesting things. I found him to be a lovely gentleman who I felt I could trust.

He had heard what happened with young Laurel and asked if I might meet a colleague of his, a Mr. Dominic Cobb, of New York.

"It's a delicate matter, Ariadne." He told me as he promised me employment as a governess to Mr. Cobb's young children.

"How so?" I asked as he wrote out a bank note to cover my train fair and lodgings.

"I think I'll let him explain it." Miles said as he saw me off at the station.

I hardly had reason to hope for a better life with this mysterious position. My heart, was so wounded just now.

I had no family, not money and no friends. I never felt more alone then I did traveling on that train knowing everyone had turned their backs on me.

A part of me wanted with wither away and die.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

~ The train deposited me in New York, and into the care of Mr. Cobb's man, Arthur Brahman. He was a slender man; dressed fashionably and in the company of a handsome Irish setter. The dog was congenially seated on his haunches and looked at us with interest.

"Are you Ariadne Bishop?" he asked and I nodded; feeling sense of relief to see a welcoming party of sorts. "So you're the one who saw the demon on the little girl?" he said as he looked at me skeptically.

I almost felt insulted. This man was a stranger to me and he had already judged me and tied the noose around my neck.

"I'm not sure what I saw, sir." I said as I noticed a young woman in a large dress that was at least twenty years out of fashion.

"Edwin? Is Edwin Lodger on this train? He said he would be here. He's on leave from the front." she cried.

No one was listening to her and, as I peered more closely at this sad girl, she washed away from my sight. Becoming nothing more than mist. A phantom that was doomed to look for her lost love forever.

"Is this all you have?" Arthur asked me. "No trunk?"

"No trunk." I told him as he politely took hold of my larger traveling bag, and I the smaller one. I had been given an artist portfolio as a graduation gift from one of my teachers. In it, contained all my sketches and water colorings I used to recommend me as a passable art teacher.

My other bags held my meager trappings of clothing and personal items. I had only three dresses to my name, and no need for much else. The dresses were all matronly dark in color as befitting a governess. Even though I knew the drabness did nothing to enhance my appearance.

On closer inspection, I saw Arthur was dressed splendidly. His suit fitting a man of consequence as he guided us to a handsome cab that stood waiting.

The setter, close at his masters heels, was quick to jump into the cab with us.

"Miles didn't tell me much about what kind of man Mr. Cobb is, Mr. Brahman." I told the gentleman as, with swift hands, he guided me into the cab beside the dog.

"Arthur. Call me Arthur. We don't stand on formalities in our group." He told me with a thread of efficiency. "This, by the way, is Hannibal. I would tell him to stay off the seats, but he isn't one for obeying orders."

I felt an odd light of happiness shine over me as Hannibal nestled himself between us. The dog gently licking my cold hands that were not covered by gloves.

As the cab lurched forward into the streets, I shivered uncontrollably. The chill in my body still had not left me, and my winter coat was proving inadequate.

"Are you cold? You're shaking." Arthur observed.

"I'm fine." I told him as I could feel the sharpness in the air burrowing into my bones. The driver making the horses canter lightly over the city streets.

Arthur rudely took hold of my un-gloved hands and glared at me angrily.

"These are like ice, Miss Bishop." he said in mild irritation. As if I had done something offensive to him.

I protested weakly as he pulled off his own well made coat and draped it over me. His body heat still clinging to the fabric as Hannibal took the opportunity to lay his head in my lap and enjoy the cover of his master's fine coat as well.

Outwardly, I tired to look embarrassed as he was no doubt cold now. Inwardly, I felt my cheeks flush hot with the courtly ritual of a gentleman protecting a lady.

I found the feel of Arthur's coat, as well as Hannibal warm body, wonderful weapons to combat the frost. It didn't banish the chill that had come to live deep inside me, but I couldn't deny it made me slightly warmer.

~ Mr. Cobb's house was beautiful and spoke of a man with money and influence. It was a lovely town home that was apart of an affluent, quite neighborhood outside of the city.

Arthur was kind enough to carry my bags as he ushered me inside and away from the cold chill of evening.

As soon as Arthur brought me inside the elegant home, however, I sensed something was wrong.

Things, shadows, stirred in corners and fled from my sight faster then my eyes could catch them. This house was tainted and haunted my something truly menacing.

"Something is living in here." I whispered to Arthur as I returned to him his coat. The house was slightly warmer to me then the outside. The coldness inside of me, however, was growing stronger.  
"Mr. Eames would agree with you." Arthur said as he looked at me. His brow becoming softer as I wandered down the hall.

Whispers. I could hear whispers coming from the walls. All of them half words and sentences that my ears, straining as hard as they could, were not able to understand.

I could hear Hannibal woofing softly and Arthur hushing the beautiful dog as I searched for the source of the strange thing.

Arthur kept his distance, and allowed me to find my own way. To follow the hissing sounds that lead me to an unlocked door. The hissing was growing louder and louder, and I could almost make out a woman's voice in the mess of snarling and terrible threats.

_'You did this! You did it! You have to pay! I'll rip you apart! I'll catch you!'_

I opened the door slowly, prepared for the worst, only to find a cheery room with two men casually sitting before an inviting fire.

Nothing was wrong, or out of place about them or the room. The hissing and whispering had seemed to stop as soon as I entered.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard." I said as I no longer sensed the hissing noises. I realized how distasteful I must have looked to these well groomed men.

The new governess, inviting herself into closed parlors. This was obviously my employers own private space for his friends to congregate.

I tried to retreat but Arthur was suddenly behind me; blocking my escape. Hannibal at my side whining up at me worriedly.

The gentlemen stood and one came to me in welcome.

"You must be Miss Bishop. Although I think Arthur has already preferred to call you Ariadne." the first said in a charming English accent that I found agreeable.

"I am Ariadne Bishop." I told him.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you." he said.

"You have?" I questioned.

"Certainly. I'm Mr. Eames."

I nodded as he seemed to think I should be any the wiser about him with just his name.

"This is Mr. Dominic Cobb." Eames said as he waved a hand to a very handsome man of middle age.

I gave a small curtsey to my elusive Mr. Cobb and tried to remember the speech I had prepared as my friend Arthur completed our strange party.

"I'm very pleased to be here and I'm looking forward to meeting the children." I said as Arthur pulled out a delicate wooden chair for me to sit on.

The three men exchanged looks that made me nervous.

"I don't know how much Miles told you about what to expect from this house." Cobb explained as Arthur nodded for me to have a seat. "We've had our fair share of governesses leave in the night without notice since we've moved here."

I observed then that Mr. Cobb looked ill and tired. His eyes were an unnatural blue and he seemed like his neck was hurting.

"He said you were in need of a governess." I offered as I wondered what was wrong with him. "Nothing about my predecessors or this house."

I felt Hannibal come by my side and rest his head on my lap again. His tail thumping contentedly on the floor as his master, Arthur glared at the two of us.

"Is it true you found a demon on a little girl? That you were able to get rid of it?" Cobb asked me in a blunt fashion.

"It's true." Eames said suddenly.

I turned to him in surprise.

"You... heard about that?" I asked hesitantly. A fear my reputation had followed me all the way to New York was founded. A pain going off inside me as I knew I would never find peace now.

"It's all anyone has been talking about in our circles." Arthur muttered darkly. "We need to know if it's true."

He stood a ways away from everyone else with his hands in his pockets; surveying me skeptically.

"Don't mind Arthur, he's our resident skeptic. Every group has to have one." Eames told me. A roguish smile itching up his lips.

"Did you chase away a demon from the girl?" Arthur asked sternly.

I wanted to lie. Wanted to say they had the wrong person; but I couldn't.

"I'm not sure what happened, sir. But yes, I saw him, and he left her." I whispered. Feeling slightly intimidated by this man now.

"But you can see other things to." Eames whispered as he moved closer to me. "I can sense it."

"Eames is a clairvoyant." Cobb explained. "He can read people like they were an open book."

"_Pretends_ to be a clairvoyant." Arthur corrected.

"Yes, and Cobb is our hypnotist. He puts people under and pulls out all their secrets." Eames told me.

I looked at these men. A growing unease settling in my body. Were they criminals of some kind? Con artists?

"We have been experiencing what can only be described as a haunting." Cobb told me and the dog whined to be petted.

"Haunting?" I questioned innocently. My blood running cold as a rubbed Hannibal behind the ear obligingly.

"Cold spots, Furniture moving around, whispers at night... other things." Arthur said as he appraised me in an unfavorable way.

"Other things." I repeated and felt my body go colder, despite the presence of a warm fire.

They were looking at me expectantly.

"I need a moment." I told them and stood.

Ever the gentlemen, they stood with me until I had escaped out of the room.

~ Out in the hall, I tried to collect myself. I could hear them talking in the parlor. Their voices hushed but still audible.

"She has the gift, Cobb." Eames was saying in his charming accent.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea." Arthur grumbled. "There was that scandal about the child."

"Who is perfectly well now." Cobb argued. "Miles says the child has recovered completely."

"And screaming that her former governess is a witch." Arthur countered.  
"We need her." Eames reiterated.

"We _need_ to be careful, Mr. Eames." Arthur snapped.

I'm not sure what came over me then, as I decided I would not stay. I would march into the parlor and ask Arthur to take me back to the train station. This conversation was strange, even for me.

No sooner had I opened the door then I saw the once cheery room had changed.

I had caught the creature by surprise. It didn't have time to hide as I threw open the doors without knocking.

There, perched on Cobb's shoulders was a gaunt and decaying woman. Her skin was blackened with rot and her hair was stringy and limp. She was hissing and growling as Cobb seemed not to notice she had taken residence on his shoulders.

He only seemed uncomfortable by the obvious demon that was sitting on him. Not even Eames or Arthur noticed she was there. They seemed innocent to the horrible thing so near to them.

She saw me then. Realized I could see her, and she cast her red eyes on me.  
"Get away from him." I said simply, before she attacked me.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

~ I woke up, what felt like hours later, on a lounge in the parlor. Arthur looking over me as though he were gravely concerned for me.

"You're alright." He told me as I tried to remember where I was and what had happened. I could feel a wetness on my hand and realized Arthur's Irish setter was licking my hand aggressively.

"Leave her alone, Hannibal." Arthur said shooing the dog away.  
"Ariadne?" Eames' voice came to me as his face suddenly appeared.

"Giver her some space, man." Arthur barked as I realized he was holding my hand. Eames vanished from my line of sight as Arthur tried to gain my focus.

"Look at me." He ordered. "You're alright."

"What happened?" I said weakly as I tired to sit up off the lounge I had apparently been placed. My whole body felt as cold as ice. Even with the fire, even with Arthur's warm hands holding mine, I was still freezing.

"You fainted." Arthur told me.  
"You told Cobb 'Get away from him', and then you screamed and fainted." Eames corrected.  
"Is Cobb alright?" I asked worriedly.

"He's went to bed. He suddenly became ill." Arthur said.

"Ariadne, what did you see?" Eames asked me.

I sat up a little better. My world dizzy as I fought a wave of nausea.

"I woman." I confessed. "She was... she was horrible. She was perched on Cobb's shoulders like some kind of bird."

Arthur and Eames exchanged dark looks.  
"Told you." Eames said with a shrug.  
Arthur gave Eames a hateful look before turning to me.  
"I see you've meet Mrs. Cobb." he said at last.

~ "When did she die?" I asked Arthur as he brought me a welcoming cup of tea. The gentleman even offered sugar with it which was a welcomed treat. However, the hot drink did little to ease the ice in my body.

"A year ago. Almost immediately after her death, we started having strange things happen. Cobb was acting odd. Things would move around at night." Arthur explained. "Then, there were the whispers. Or so they tell me. I haven't witness anything odd."

"A haunting?" I said. Remembering what they had told me.

"That's when I was called in." Eames told me. "I knew something was here, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was, or what could be done. Mr. Cobb has moved twice already. Mal, his wife, has followed him each time."

"We heard about you and what you did for the girl." Arthur told me as he took my empty cup and refilled it.

"There is no governess position, is there?" I said bitterly.  
"On the contrary, there is." Arthur told me as he handed me the cup back after putting two spoonfuls of sugar in it. "Cobb has two small children and they are just as much a victim in this as he is."

"This woman, Mal." I said taking a tentative sip of tea. "She isn't gone for good. She'll be back. I've never seen anything like her before."

"But you _can_ see her." Eames prompted. "That's more then anyone in our group had been able to do."

"Your group?" I questioned.

"We make it our life's work to investigate the strange and unusual things that science can not yet explain." Eames told me.

"Science can explain it, we just haven't learned how to ask the right questions." Arthur said stubbornly.

"You're such a stick in the mud." Eames grumbled.  
"Science can not explain what I saw." I told Arthur as Hannibal nuzzled my ice cold hand and gave it an affectionate lick.  
"What did you see?" Arthur asked.  
"A woman, sitting on his shoulders. Just like the demon was with Laurel. Only she was different, she was defiantly human." I told him feeling a shiver run down my spine.  
"The thing that possessed the girl wasn't?" Arthur prompted.  
"I don't know what had the girl." I explained truthfully. "But whatever has Cobb is much stronger. It's affecting his health isn't it?"

"She haunts him unlike anything I've ever seen before." Eames told me. "He's growing sicker because of it. I think she means to kill him."  
"I've found that spirits tend to haunt the one they love because they feel a need to take care of them. Why would Mal want to hurt her husband?" I asked.  
Arthur's eyes rolled over to Eames before he decided to be wholly honest with me.  
"The inquest officially ruled she took her own life." Arthur said. "However, there were suspicious circumstances."

~ How I went to sleep after that, I had no idea. The train ride, the confrontation of Mr. Cobb's late wife, all of it took a greater toll on me than I realized.

Arthur had a skittish looking maid show me to my room. After our conversation, explaining how they had troubles keeping help with all the strange occurrences at night.

"Don't worry." I told him as I followed the frightened maid upstairs. "I've dealt with this all my life. I doubt I'd be afraid of anything."

~ I barely remember crawling into bed before dawn's light woke me up in the morning. I let out a groan and I felt my bed mate stir beside me. The feel of his soft, warm body shifting closer to me wanting a morning kiss before breakfast.

"Hannibal." I scolded the handsome thing that had sneaked into my bed sometime in the night. "How did you get in here?"

I pried off the warm coverings to reveal Arthur's Irish setter, looking pleased to see me and no doubt wanting his breakfast.

The dog jumped happily on me and licked my face till I couldn't help but laugh at the mischievous nature of this wonderful creature.

"Hannibal, go find your master. Arthur must be looking for you." I scolded as the handsome thing watched me dress and pin back my hair.

Hannibal only gave me a joyful bark and waited to escort me down stairs like the gentleman he was.

~ I had no trouble at all finding the kitchen. The smells of cooking wafted up the stairs and made the dog at my side very excited as he led the way.

As a member of the staff, and not technically a family member, I knew I was strictly relegated to the servants dinning room. However, when I entered the kitchen, I was greeted by a solitary stout woman who bellowed at me.

"What are you doing here? Mr. Brahman said you're to be in the dinning room with his other guests." she scolded me.

It took me several moments to understand that she was speaking about Arthur.  
"I'm sorry, you've misunderstood. I'm to be the new governess, not a guest." I told her.  
"I misunderstand little in this house." the cook said. "My orders are from Mr. Brahman himself. You're to dine with him and the rest of his guests. He lays down the law and I don't question it."

"_Arthur_ owns this house?" I finally realized. "I thought this home belonged to Mr. Cobb."

"Not at all. It's Arthur Brahman's house and has been his whole life." she scolded as I was ushered out of the kitchen, with Hannibal, and into a formal dinning room.

I saw Mr. Eames helping himself to steaming trays of sweet smelling bacon and other delightful goodies that made my stomach nip painfully.  
"There you are." Eames said in greeting as he pulled out a chair for me to sit. "Did you sleep well?" he asked as Arthur wandered belatedly into our company from another entrance.  
"You foul beast, where have you been?" he grumbled at the dog who had taken such a liking to me.

"Oh, I found him in bed with me this morning. I've no idea how he got in my room, but I'm very glad he did. He kept my bed warm." I explained as I started to eat my share of the feast.

"Well." Arthur said looking uncomfortable. "As long as he didn't bother you, miss Bishop."

"He didn't." I assured the sullen master.  
"I'll be sure to keep him in my own room more securely at night." Arthur assured me. "I was fearful the great oaf had run away."

"Not hardly." Eames laughed. "That dog wouldn't miss his breakfast.  
"Hannibal?" Arthur commanded to my new bed mate, currently sitting close to me and imploring me for bacon. "Come."

The dog looked at Arthur and rested his head on my lap instead.

"Hannibal!" Arthur commanded.  
"Well Ariadne, looks like you have a suitor." Eames teased.

I felt my oddly broken heart start to mend slightly at the affection this dog had for me.  
"Don't mind Arthur. He's a great grump, and he's not used to being jealous of a dog." Eames added.  
"I'm hardly jealous of a dog." Arthur huffed.

"Why not? I'm jealous of him." Eames said as the two men seemed about to engage in a trifle argument.

"Are we not to discuss what happened last night?" I broke in. "Or, are we to ignore it and I be introduced to my pupils?"

Arthur and Eames exchanged looks as Hannibal whined and I relented and slipped him some bacon.

"During the day, especially mornings, things are quite calm." Arthur said after the two men had fallen silent. "It's at night things start to occur. Don't expect anything too entertaining till then."

~ My new friend only drank black coffee while Eames and I ate solid food. His 'meal' finishing much quicker this way.  
"I'll show you to the room you're use in your teachings. Your student's names are James and Phillipa, five and seven years old respectively." he explained as we left Mr. Eames in the dinning room. Hannibal plotting strait behind us.

The warmth of the dinning room, the hot food I had eaten, made me realize how cold the rest of the house was as we entered the hallway in search of my classroom.

"Are you always cold?" Arthur asked me as he witnessed my habit of rubbing my ice like hands together for warmth.  
"A little. I'm afraid I'm not made for colder weather." I said. Trying to be pleasant to what felt like an accusation.  
"You don't have any gloves or a proper coat for winter. I saw that much on the ride from the station." he mused as he opened the doors to a slightly warmer room that was prepared and made ready with books, paper and even a chalk board.  
"Those trappings are for more well financed ladies then myself, sir. Perhaps I can learn to knit and make myself a pair of mittens and a scarf." I told him as I went to the cheery fireplace with its promise of heat.

Arthur observed my fanatic devotion to the warmth of primal fire.  
"Will this room be alright? Do you need anything else?" he asked. His long arms indicating the wall map and table filled with supplies.  
"Oh, no." I said looking over the nicely furnished room. "This will be more then enough."

I looked over a handsome edition of an atlas and a hefty book of Shakespeare and Greek mythology. My last posting relegated me to teaching from outdated texts and maps with my employers expecting modern results.

Arthur had generously provided for me to teach with new equipment, paper and water colors.

"Mr. Cobb insists the children lead French as well. Miles said you were fluent." Arthur said as Hannibal came to stand close to me.

"I am. I was close to our French teacher and paid attention to her dialect and annunciation." I told him.

We lingered in the classroom for a while longer as the ticking of the clock seemed oddly loud.  
"Well, shall I send in your pupils?" he asked at length.

"Thank you, sir." I said with as half curtsy.

Arthur was about to leave when I stopped him.

"Sir?"

He turned to look back at me.  
"I've not seen Mr. Cobb this morning. Is he well?" I asked.

"Well enough. He won't be awake till much later." Arthur said.

"Sir, am I to report to you in his absence? About the children as well as his condition?" I asked.  
Arthur seemed perplexed by the question.

"That will be fine, and no more calling me sir. It's Arthur or nothing, remember?" he said.

I nodded as he slapped his thigh and called the handsome setter to him.  
"Hannibal, Come!" he ordered.

My bed mate from last night only sat himself next to me. This rebellion seemed to upset Arthur, who glared at the dog.  
"Hannibal, COME!" he ordered.

Hannibal looked up at me with sad eyes.  
"It's okay, I have things to do." I told him.

The handsome creature shifted off his hind legs and trotted wearily after Arthur.  
"You don't have to be so enthusiastic." Arthur grumbled to the dog. "I'll be in the parlor should you need me." he said before shutting the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

~ I found my students pleasant company for the morning. The girl, Phillipa, was a dreamy sort who tackled math problems as if she were about to be thrown into a volcano.

Like her father, she seemed ill at ease with her surroundings and I knew that whatever was plaguing Mr. Cobb, no doubt affected her as well.

"Come on. Twenty four plus fifty." I coaxed as she seemed to want to be anywhere but here.

She looked woefully at the math problem on the board. I couldn't help but be jealous of her pretty blond curls and expertly made dress. The only thing marring the picture of childhood perfection her sullen little face.

"Sixty four?" she said as she wrote the number on the board.  
"Try again, you're very close." I told her.

James, a broken mantle clock on his lap, was learning how to tell time.  
"A quarter past five." he said proudly as he showed me the hands he was moving on the broken clock face.

"Very good. Now show me a quarter _till_ five." I told him.

"I hate math!" Phillipa said throwing the chalk down.  
"And yet we have to master it." I told her.

"Can't I paint with the water colors or play with the maps? I like those." she asked hopefully.  
"First we do what we have to do, then we do what we want to do." I told her in my well practiced refrain from school. It was a popular sing song adage the teachers would tell us when we yearned to play outside and cast away all hope of schooling forever.

Phillipa looked sulky as she returned to her math problems.

~ "How were your lessons?" Arthur asked me as soon as James and Phillipa fled my classroom a few hours later for the freedom of outdoors.

"Very well. Mainly because of the excellent teaching supplies you provided." I told him.  
"How do you know I provided them and not Cobb?" Arthur asked as he examined the basic French I had written on the chalk board.

I folded up the map Phillipa had been playing with and gave a shrug as Hannibal made himself at home on the rug next to the fire.  
"Just a feeling. I would think Mr. Cobb is a very busy man these days. You seem to be the type to help when needed." I told him as he assisted me in picking up the mess left by the children.  
"Well, you're very correct. I furnished this little classroom; I'm glad you found it serviceable." he told me.

"The broken clock was a nice touch." I said as, together, we collected the bits of colored chalk and put them in a box.

"Yes." he laughed. "It's how I learned to tell time. A broken clock is right at least twice a day."

I smiled as the fire snapped merrily behind me. My eyes averting the window where frost was threatening to invade our happy scene.

"When I was a boy, I was taught by a governess in this very room. She was a lovely woman." Arthur mused as he placed the broken clock on my desk. "I had designs to marry her when I was older, but I failed to realize she aged just as surely as I did." he confessed sadly.

"These things happen." I told him.

In some unaccountable way, I felt my cheeks grow warm. I was suddenly too embarrassed to look at him.  
"Yes, it was most unfair and tragic." Arthur agreed.

We said nothing as my little classroom was now too tidy and we had nothing to keep occupied.

Arthur noticed my art portfolio in the corner and he sifted on his feet.

"May I?" he asked pointing to it.  
"Please do, sir. I enjoy showing off my accomplishments." I said.

My friend was careful with my simple portfolio. Treating it like it was something truly precious and valuable. As if they were not the silly sketches of a former school girl, but of a real artist.

He carefully examined the detailed drawings I had mastered of people's hands and feet. Of clothing and hair.

"These are very good." he announced.

"You're too kind." I said as it felt oddly warm in the room.

"No one sketches people these days. It's all landscapes." he said as he examined a careful drawing I had done of one of the girls formally under my care.

His brow seemed to furrow over an overly flattering sketch of Tom, and then stopping at an especially graphic sketch I had forgotten was there.

"Is this what you saw?" he asked showing me the charcoal drawing of a black figure with red eyes who sat bird like on a child's shoulders.

I sucked in my breath. The memories of that horrible thing making me afraid.  
"Yes." I whispered. "It is."

"Did it ever come back? As far as you could tell?" he asked.  
"I don't think it will come back and she was fine." I told him.

He nodded and carefully placed my sketches back like he found them and closed my portfolio.

"Hannibal seems to have taken a liking to you." Arthur mused as the handsome creature by the fire looked up at the both of us.

"And I him. I haven't been around dogs much." I confessed as Hannibal let his head back down and threatened to go to sleep.

"Well, I've never seen him so enchanted before. You must have bewitched him." Arthur said.

I felt my broken heart clang dangerously in my chest at the insinuation.  
"I'm not a witch, Arthur. I didn't ask for this." I told him.

Arthur had the good graces to looked embarrassed.  
"I know that, Ariadne. Please don't take what I said to heart. I meant no offense." he said.

I warmed my hands by the fire as Arthur didn't seem to want to leave.  
"Still cold?" he asked.  
"I'll be fine." I assured him. "Will the children be alright outside? I wouldn't want them to catch a chill."

"It's more of a danger to keep them indoors then to let them prowl around outside. I'm sure they will be fine." he assured me.  
"It must have been hard for them. To lose their mother at such a young age." I said.

"I lost my own mother when I was very young. It's never easy, but they have their father and myself. I've promised Cobb I would take care of them if he can't overcome this... sickness that has befallen him." Arthur told me.  
"It's not a sickness." I whispered.

A damp chill seeped its way into the room, hitting the back of my neck despite the presence of a warm fire. Something had slithered across the room, listening in on our plans for Mr. Cobb.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"I'm not sure. I've only seen it once before and nothing so intense as this." I told him.

I couldn't understand why, but I felt afraid. My skin prickling with the sickening feeling that something was behind me. Crawling on the wall and glaring at me with sharp, hungry teeth.

Hannibal suddenly roused himself and my handsome protector started to bark at a corner of the room.  
"Hannibal!" Arthur shouted over the dog's loud barking. "Quite!"

"Arthur, can we leave this room?" I asked as I hurried out past dog and master.

~ Arthur and Hannibal, who stopped barking as soon as we left the classroom, followed me into the front parlor.  
"What is it?" Arthur demanded.  
"Something was in there. Listening to us." I whispered. My breath coming hard as the ice on the back of my neck shed off me as soon as we were safely away.

My friend looked skeptical as his eyes rolled doubtfully.  
"It's true!" I hissed. "I could feel it. Why do you think the dog was barking?"

"Because Hannibal is a fool." Arthur said. "He barks at corners all the time."

"Did he do that before Mrs. Cobb passed away?" I asked.

Arthur scowled at me.  
"No." he said at length.

He shook his head as if to shake off any notion I might be right about the unseen monsters that lurked in the house.

"This is nonsense. You and Eames will have me seeing spirits next. Participating in seances and calling in mystics to read my palms." he said as he marched away from me, a certainly took hold of my mind and roared loudly at me.  
"The authorities, they believe Cobb killed his wife; didn't they?" I asked.

I felt myself shirk away as Arthur turned and glared at me.  
"Who told you that?" he asked.  
"No one." I said as I moved closer to the fire, but could feel no warmth.  
"Was it Miles? Eames?" he questioned.  
"No one said a word about it." I told him.

"They couldn't prove it. Why he was never charged." Arthur admitted. "How did you know?" he asked.  
I shrugged.

"_They_ told me." I said.

"The children?"

I shook my head.

"No, not the children." I admitted.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

~ "It started when I was very young." I told him. We sat comfortably in the parlor I had first met Cobb and Eames in. "I saw things, heard things, other people couldn't."  
"What is it you see, exactly?" Arthur asked.

I shook my head.  
"It depends. Sometimes they are just shadows that move quicker than normal. They feel like my eyes are playing ticks on me. Other times, it's full beings. On the train station, I saw a young woman. She was dressed like they did during the war. Talking about someone coming home on leave. Other times, they feel like whispers." I admitted.

Arthur looked at his hands.  
"They tell you things?" Arthur asked. "Like about Cobb?"

"Yes, I've always known things about people I wasn't supposed to know. I can't explain it." I said feeling like a failure.

"Well, it's all very interesting but it's hardly proof you're some kind of supernatural lighting rod." Arthur said.

"I understand you don't want to believe, sir." I told him.

"Arthur." he corrected.

"Arthur." I said feeling flushed again. "If I didn't have this ability, I wouldn't believe either."

We sat in companionable silence for a while; Hannibal sitting at my feet.  
"Cobb will be awake in a few hours, why don't we talk about it then?" he said at last.  
"He sleeps all day?" I asked.

"Oh yes. Whatever his sickness is, it keeps him awake all night." he said. "Did you hear anything last night?"

"No, I slept like the dead, I didn't even hear Hannibal come in." I said as a rubbed the dogs ears.

He let out a long sigh.  
"Could I trouble you to have the maid bring us tea? I'll call the children in and we can enjoy the fire before nightfall." he said.  
"That sounds lovely. Will Mr. Eames be joining us?" I asked.

I felt grateful to have something cheery to think of just now.  
"No, Mr. Eames is as of much use to me as a house cat. He's interesting and fun at parties, but once he's been fed, he vanishes for places unknown till it is time to feed him again." Arthur grumbled. "Still, Cobb insists his little dog and pony show is good for something."

~ In the kitchen, I once more found the stout woman, rolling and kneading dough.  
"Oh, it's you again." she said. "Well, what is it? I've got loads of work to do just now and my girl is never around anymore. Wandered off the lazy lay about." she said.  
"We were hoping to get tea for myself and Art-, um... Mr. Brahman." I said catching myself. It would not do to have the staff thinking I was becoming too cozy with our employer.

The stout woman gave girlish giggle.  
"Oh, _Arthur_ is it?" she said with a laugh. "Well, miss governess, you know how to boil water?"

"I do." I said as she cut rounded shapes out of the dough.  
"Kettle is over there. Stove is already hot. I was making young Arthur his favorite tarts." she said.

I noticed then the kitchen smelled sweetly of baking and sugar.

"He would eat these till his lips and teeth were stained red. I never could refuse him sweets when he was a boy." the woman said.  
"That's very kind of you... Mrs?" I questioned.  
"Mrs. Robinson." she told me genially. "Kindness has nothing to do with it; I like my work; I like the family. As long as the family is in this house, I won't leave it. Who's gonna look after them as far as meals go? Huh? That gentleman cook that comes along and fiddles in the kitchen? All he does is leave a mess in his wake and guess who has to clean it up? Me. That's right, ME." She said as she stooped to the stove and removed a hot tray.

I felt my eyes flutter at the smell of strawberry tarts.

"Canned the strawberries myself last summer. You can bet that gentleman cook didn't do it. Men are useless in the kitchen, and don't I know it." she said as she dusted the tarts with sugar and the kettle whistled smartly.

"They smell wonderful." I told her as she placed the tarts on a fine china plate.

"I know they do!" she scolded me. "Now, get that flowery tea pot there, no, the blue one to match the plate I've already sat down. There's a good girl."

I helped Mrs. Robinson prepare a tray of tea and tarts and was shooed out of the kitchen to her muttering about putting up with the new chef Arthur had hired.

~ James and Phillipa were playing in the parlor as I brought in the tea tray.  
"Careful, James!" I warned him as he picked up on of the hot tarts and tried to bite it.  
"Mrs. Robinson just took them out of the oven and we can't have you burn yourself on them."

"Who?" Arthur questioned.

"Oh, she's either the cook or the kitchen maid." I explained as I made Phillipa sit strait with a napkin on her lap. "This is a good chance for us to practice our table manners, don't you think?" I asked the children.  
"Mrs. Robinson was in the kitchen?" Arthur asked. "Not Anna, the scullery maid?"

"I don't think she was a scullery maid only. She was cooking these tarts and she was an older woman. Although she complained the new chef you hired makes a mess and she has to clean it up."

Arthur was scowling at me and I felt I had done something wrong.  
"What is it?" I asked. "Mrs. Robinson said these were your favorites. You had them as a boy and-" I watched the master of the house stand up and leave us. His stride purposeful as he marched loudly down the hallway and into the kitchen.  
"It's alright, children." I told the younger people, no doubt perplexed as to what was happening. I rushed after Arthur to explain that Mrs. Robinson meant no harm in confiding to me. That no serious breech of etiquette had occurred, and not to be cross with her.

I found him in the pristine kitchen. The smell of freshly made tarts still hanging in the air. The kitchen however, was empty. Not a dish was soiled, not a drop of flour was evident from the kneading of dough just moments before.

I sucked in my breath as Arthur wandered around the kitchen. His hand going to the stove.  
"It's cold." he grumbled. "But those tarts were hot and fresh from the oven."

"A woman was here, Arthur. I swear it. She was cooking and saying those were your favorite. She said she always gave them to you as a boy till they stained your teeth. She said she canned the strawberries this past summer herself." I cried as we looked around the kitchen.

Never in my life had something like this happened.  
"Mrs. Robinson was our old cook. She came with my mother when she married my father and stayed on with us until two years ago." Arthur explained.

"She left?" I asked.

"She always said she would never leave this house as long I needed her." Arthur said as he eyed a worn looking wooden chair tucked neatly in a corner.

Arthur took a deep breath.

"Two years ago, she sat down at her chair over there, and passed away waiting for a kettle to boil." he said.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

~ "Ghost or no, she can still bake with the best of them." Eames said as he stuffed his face with Mrs. Robinson's offerings.

Arthur scowled darkly and brazening wrested the remainder of the treat from his friend's mouth.  
"How long have you been having the tarts since she died?" Cobb asked.

"I thought the other staff made them." Arthur explained. "Maybe Mrs. Robinson left her recipe book behind, I didn't ask."

Arthur was leafing through a photo album and finally rested his eyes on one particular picture.  
"Ariadne, don't be alarmed, but is this her?" he asked as he showed me the book.

Mrs. Robinson was laying out on her bed. She was dressed in what must have been her Sunday best. A black dress with a pearl brooch at the high collar. Flowers were placed around her head and her face was crumpled looking. Yet, she was defiantly _not_ sleeping.

"Yes." I said sadly. "That's her."

I took the photograph album from him and tried to digest all I had seen in the kitchen. It was not macabre or gory to think of loved ones taking photographs of the newly deceased.

In many cases, a servant like the late Mrs. Robinson, this would have been the only time they might have been captured on film.  
"My kitchen staff has been reporting that things have been put back on shelves when they leave a room. That food has been made. At first they blamed each other, and then the new chef." Arthur told us. "Only recently has kitchen started to spook them. Now it's hard to get them to go near it."  
"When you saw this woman, you had no notion she was not of the living?" Cobb asked.

I only nodded my head.

"And you've never seen an apparition like this before?" he asked again.

"No, never." I told him. "As I explained to Arthur earlier, I've only seen shadows, and very rarely a fleeting glimpse at the other side. Sometimes I'll see them in mirrors or other reflective surfaces. Sometimes, I'll see them in a stronger form, but never like this."

I shivered as I looked over the still face of Mrs. Robinson again. How odd she looked with no life in her.

"Most of the time, they don't know they're dead. Don't understand that they've passed on." I added.

"Unfinished business." Eames said as he munched on another tart. "Why a lot of them stick around. Or revenge." he said eyeing Cobb menacingly.

"Last night, you said 'Get off him' when you came back into the room." Cobb said while ignoring Mr. Eames.

"I did." I said unable to deny the fact.  
"After you said it, a terrible weight was off my body and you started screaming. Gas lamps burned very high, almost breaking the bulbs and all the windows in the house flew open. Then you fainted." Cobb told me.

"I had no idea that had happened, sir." I said to him.  
"It was unlike any haunting we had ever witness before. I became violently ill and am now recently recovered." he said thankfully.

"You've recovered for now, sir." I said. "Mal will be back."

Cobb looked angry for a second. His fine eyes morphing into a scowl.  
"Tell me what you saw that night." he ordered.  
"A woman. She was perched on your shoulders. The same as whatever was on the girl back in Boston." I told them. "Only she was different. She wasn't like the other thing. She still looked human."

"Demons have the ability to morph into any creature they desire." Eames said as he placed on the table a large book.  
"Where did you get that?" Arthur questioned.

"The New York City library." Eames said lazily.

He flipped to a section that was heavily illustrated with ghastly half man, half beast creatures.  
"Just because whatever was sitting on Cobb, my guess is a succubus, didn't look like the thing you saw on the girl, my guess in an incubus, doesn't mean they are not the same type of demon, Darling." he explained.

"What's a succubus?" I asked.

"A woman, who seduces a man, has sexual relations with him and then devours his soul." Eames said proudly as he pointed to the beautiful demon woman in the book. He flipped a page and pointed to a half naked demon male with a long tongue.

"Now, and incubus is the male form of the demon. Yet, they all look different, just as we look different." he explained.

I looked closer at the picture and saw to my horror the incubus of which he spoke wasn't clothed properly and his maleness was lewdly exposed and largely proportioned.  
"Eames!" Arthur growled at the man as he slammed the book shut.

"What?" Eames asked innocently.  
"Ariadne, I know this thing is still here. If it's my wife or not is another matter." Cobb said sadly. "I need you to go and find her."

"I can't." I told him. "It's not like it was with Mrs. Robinson. These things do not _want_ to be seen. They hide or become invisible by some means."

"I know, but I think we have a way for you to see them." Cobb said.

~ "Ariadne, you don't have to do this." Arthur was saying. "I hired you to be a governess to children, nothing more."

"No, I need to see it." I told Arthur as I tried to relax in the comfortable chair in front of the fire.

Arthur looked a little angry at the idea of our grand experiment. Mr. Cobb sat across from me as Arthur and Eames sat on the lounge next to us.

All of us were silent and the ticking of the grandfather clock seemed particularly loud and ominous.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes and try to feel your body relaxing. Your mind relaxing with your body and journeying to a safer, happier place." Cobb said.

I did as he bade me and his words melted over me with ease as I felt my body sinking into nothingness. I had never been hypnotized before and the I was doubtful it could accomplish anything. But after everything I had seen and felt upon entering this house, I could believe anything now.

"Let your mind walk up the steps to this house, into the front door and meet us here in this parlor." Cobb beckoned.

I saw it, I saw the house, the front hall and the parlor come into view. To my utter amazement, I saw the four of us seated just as I knew we were now. Cobb sitting across from me as I looked to be sleeping uncomfortably. Even Arthur and Eames were there, still looking at us.

Only this view, this realm was darker, more shadowy somehow. I could still hear the ticking of the clock, louder then ever, among whispers from upstairs.

I knew I was under then, and part of me fought to stay under as Hannibal was on his feet and, moving away from my sleeping self, and approached me; his tail wagging happily.

"Look at the dog." Eames whispered and nudged Arthur who's attention was fixed on my sleeping body.

"She's under." Cobb announced. "She's in the room, but her mind is wandering."

I felt the shadows in the room shift and the whispering grow louder. The room felt a dark blue and outside this house was a terrible place of nothingness.

"Let this place be an anchor, remember you're perfectly safe, go into this realm and find her." Cobb instructed as the men in the parlor faded away and even Hannibal was no longer there.

The room was now empty and covered with nothingness. The furnishing had lost all detail and the paintings were blank. Not even a fire burned in the hallow fireplace.

I felt that familiar cold seep back into my body again as I turned and left the parlor. The house had turned arctic and freezing as I made my way up the large staircase in search of the whispering.

"_Catch her!' Kill her! The Whore, the filthy whore! Despoiling my family?_" came the insidious growl of the creature from places unknown.

I could see the puff of air coming from my mouth at the invasion of cold in this place, how I wished for Hannibal to be at my side as the whispering grew louder.

"K_ill her! Kill her!_" came the growling, gnawing, cackling caw of the monster that resided just behind the door.

As if in a trance, I opened it to see that this room was the nursery dedicated to James and Phillipa. Their bodies were sleeping as the demon perched over their beds. Her claws grazing over them as they lay there; helpless and unaware.

The creature seemed not to notice me as I watched her in muted horror.

There were other things here to. Shadows creeping along the walls like spiders as the demon breathed wetly on the innocent children.

"I see you." I said at last.

The demon, her eyes glowing red and hot snapped up and glared at me. Her dark hair and rotting skin steaming as she was hot in this very cold world.  
"I see you!" I screamed at the horrible thing.

With a mighty growl she leaped of the bed and, animal like, bounded towards me in a furry of anger and rage.  
"Ariadne!" came Cobb's voice as the thing attacked me. "Come back to us! Come back to where it's safe!"

The creature was clawing at me. Her talons trying to pierce the skin of my face as we tumbled down the stairs together.

A strange wind had picked up in the house. Windows blowing open and the other phantoms fled into the night. It was like a great party had been occurring and now everyone was desperate to escape it.

The creature landed with me on the first floor of the house and the shadows forced opened more windows and doors. Her banshee like howls painful as she clawed at me.

"Come back to us!" I heard Cobb command.

The parlor was so close, but the demon kept me pinned to the floor. Her hot breath smelling of burnt hair and I started to choke from the stink.

"_You! Who are you, whore?_" the thing hissed. "_Who are you?_"

I could only let out a scream and block my face as she attacked me over and over.

"Ariadne!" came a deep voice I knew to be Arthur's. "Come back into the parlor this instant!"

The master of this house wasn't polite or kind about his request. He was, in fact, giving me an order.

A strange fear that I might upset him if I didn't obey, made me kick off the horrible beast and race to the parlor; securing the doors behind me.  
The creature was hissing madly as I found my sleeping body once more and was roused to the land of reality.

~ I woke up with a start. My heart beating wildly and tears running down my check.  
"You're alright." Arthur was saying as he was by my side. His reassuring presence calming me as his hands were latched onto mine.  
"Look at me, you're alright." he said again.

I couldn't control the torrent of tears I had just now. I let out a long sob as the memory of the horrible creature was still raw in my mind.  
"What did you see, Ariadne?" Cobb asked as Eames went around and shut the windows. All of them had mysteriously blown open while I was under. Snow had started to fall outside and little flurries of white were invading the home.  
I noticed the doors to the parlor were still shut fast. Exactly as I had left them in my walking nightmare.

I was still gasping for air as Arthur gallantly held my hand and Hannibal whined nervously.  
"The children!" I gasped at last. "She's after the children!"


	7. Chapter 7

7.

~ I fully expected to see the children had been smothered as they dreamed. But as the four of us raced upstairs to check on them, we found them both to be sleeping comfortably.

Cobb carefully examined his young son as I watched Phillipa's breathing. I cool sense of relief rushing over me.

"What is it you saw?" Cobb whispered as we left the nursery for the parlor again.

I shivered involuntarily and tried not to think about the horrible creature that was perched on the helpless children.  
"That thing was in their room, clawing at them. I told her that I could see her, and she attacked me. The whole house was... _polluted _with these shadows, and when the thing attacked, the shadows fled through the windows." I told them as I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth.  
"Explains why all the windows were thrown open by themselves." Eames grumbled as he and Arthur were still at the task of closing windows. A flurry of new snow had escaped into the house from the light storm outside.  
"Here." Arthur said as he returned from the hallway, where even the front door had been opened to the elements. He shouldered on me his very fine winter coat and, even though I was still cold, my cheeks warmed at the gesture.

I felt I owed them an explanation as to why I always was so fearful of the cold.  
"Since the incident with the first demon, the one who I found on the girl, I've always been very cold." I explained to them as Arthur guided us back to the cozy parlor and the sitting room. Hannibal sitting close to me once more.

"I'm not sure why, I can't seem to stay warm. It's like it's deep inside me." I told them.

"Demons like the cold. They're cold blooded creatures." Eames said logically.  
"While I was in that place, the place you sent me, it was very cold." I told Cobb.

He nodded as I could start to feel the prickle of the warm fire.

"Are you sure it was a woman?" he asked.

I nodded as Arthur asked Eames to get us some tea.  
"I'll set Mrs. Robinson right on it." Eames grumbled as he left.  
"What did she look like; exactly?" Cobb asked.  
"Well, her eyes were glowing red. Like the other demon. Her skin was singed black and her hair was dirty and stringy." I explained. "I couldn't see much of her face, but her breath smelled like burned hair." I added.

Cobb seemed to suck in his breath.  
"Do you feel anything now?" Arthur asked at length "Do you hear anything?"

"No, the house feels empty." I said.

"They know she's here and that she has the ability to see them. That's why they fled. They know this isn't a safe house anymore." Cobb said. "Maybe they'll leave now."

To me he looked nervous.  
"Did the creature say anything to you?" he asked.  
"Yes. She called me a foul name of which I won't repeat, and wanted to know who I was. Also something about soiling her family." I told them.

Cobb was breathing hard as Eames returned to us with a tray of hot tea.

"That was quick." Arthur commented.

"No tarts I'm afraid." he explained as he set it down before me. "But the kitchen was empty and the kettle was going off on the stove. Your Mrs. Robinson strikes again."

He looked at Cobb and Arthur who were exchanging knowing looks.  
"What is it?" Eames asked.

"I'm tired." Cobb announced. "I think I need to turn in early."

We watched him leave our party and head upstairs.

We three were silent till he left us alone.

"What happened?" Eames asked as Arthur poured me a cup of tea.

Hannibal looked greedily at the cookie Arthur gave me on a napkin. I slipped it to him and he happily ate it for me.

"Cobb's wife died in a fire." Arthur explained. "When they pulled her body out of the house, her skin was black, and her hair was stringy from all the water used to put the fire out." Arthur explained.

"Why is she after the children, Arthur?" I whispered.

My friend looked at Hannibal alone and rubbed his head.

"I don't know." he said.  
"You _do_ know." I insisted.

"No, I don't!" he barked.

The room had changed again and I felt worried by it. Arthur knew something serious and was refusing to tell me.  
"It's getting very late, I think we should call it a day." Arthur announced.

As we all stood, Hannibal stayed close to me. His intentions of wanting to stay in my bed again very clear.  
"Hannibal!" Arthur called as he wished the dog to go with him.

My handsome bed mate from last night whined and hid behind my dress as if it made him invisible.  
"Arthur, I don't mind if he sleeps with me again tonight." I told him as Arthur marched towards the dog who cowered closer to me.  
"No, I want don't want him thinking he can sleep where he pleases." Arthur grumbled as he gently took hold of the setter's collar and guided him upstairs to his room. Hannibal looking back at me longingly.

~ Back in my comfortable suite, I hung Arthur's fine winter coat on my bed post, and undressed. A maid had been in an left a good fire for me. I was grateful for the warmth and gave serious thought to purchasing a better coat as my body felt better in my warm bed.

~ I must have slept lightly, because during the night, I awoke to my bedroom door unlocking with a loud, and ominous groan. I sat up and wondered when in the night my fire had burned out. The ashes looked dark and cold as if there had been no fire at all.

I slipped out of my bedding to feel the cold wooden floor creak loudly as the frost from outside threatening to invade the house.

I was shivering as I put on Arthur's winter coat and breathed into my hands. I was about to close the chamber door to my bedroom when I noticed all the doors in the hallway were likewise open wide.

I peered into the darkness as moonlight from the windows of each room provided the only light in the hallway.

It was ill luck to have all the doors open in this way, and I suspected even Arthur would not have allowed it.

I couldn't help but wander down the empty hallway to discover the sleeping quarters of the house.  
Arthur had reserved for himself the master's chambers. Hannibal, having sensed something was wrong, was sitting expectantly at the foot of the bed; as if waiting for me. He jumped down and became my companion as we spied Mr. Eames and Mr. Cobb sleeping soundly in their respective rooms.

I dreaded peeking into the children's room. My fears for them doubled when I knew the demon was really after them.

Yet, when I opened the door, I found them to be slumbering peacefully. A low fire burned in the grate as the large window showed a bright full moon.

Something about how large and glaring the moon looked unnerved me. I went to the window and closed the curtains to block it off.

The room suddenly cast into darkness, my hands were quick to find an glass oil lamp at the ready.

With well practiced movements, I struck a match and lit the wick. A low, comforting light burned in the glass dome of the lamp and spread it's light over the table and to the floor. I felt better about this light. It was safer; saner.

I turned around, my eyes following the trail of light to see Phillipa standing out of her bed. Her beautiful hair covering her face as she looked curiously at me.

"Phillipa!" I gasped. My heart beating wildly in my chest. I had not heard the mattress or bedding rustle and the shock of her being out of bed provided me with a great scare.  
"I'm sorry I woke you." I said. "I just came to check on you."

Phillipa looked at me through the tangle of hair over her face. Her breathing hard.

"Who are you?" she asked in a whisper.  
"I'm Miss Bishop, your governess. Your remember." I told her.

I took a step to her and she didn't move or flinch.

"It's still late, child. Why don't we go back to bed?" I said I brushed the hair away from her face. "If you want I'll stay-"

I caught my breath as I saw her face. What ever this thing was, it was not Phillipa. It's face was hideous and scared. It's skin was peeling off in dry flakes as it looked back at me with dead eyes.

"Where is Phillipa?" I breathed.

The thing's ugly face turned into a greedy smile.  
"Where is Phillipa!" I screamed as Hannibal started barking.

The thing started hissing at me and blood, black as mud, dribbled out of it's mouth.

"Let her go!" I screamed as I clamped my hands over the things head. I could feel the sullen child inside it somewhere. Lost and crying for help.

Simultaneously, the window of the nursery flew open and a fierce wind and snow beat down on the both of us. I felt my hands quickly turn to ice and not be able to move.

"You will let this child go!" I screamed at the thing that had possessed her.

James seemed to had stirred from his bedding and was looking at us. Only it wasn't James any longer, but a sinister, evil thing that looked at me with sharp teeth.

Both of the children were under the creature's hold.

I could barely recall Hannibal barking and hear Phillipa's cries when the men of the house burst in.

"What's going on here?" Cobb was shouting at the snow storm was pouring in over myself and the demon I held tightly by the head.  
"Let her go!" I screamed. "Let her go!"

"Ariadne!" Arthur was shouting as the demon's face suddenly turned to Phillipa's again. I looked over to James' bed to see the little boy crying. His father picking him up and shushing him.  
"Ariadne, it's alright!" Arthur was shouting at me as Mr. Eames closed the windows.

I felt myself relax as I saw Phillipa's face return to normal.  
"Miss. Bishop!" Arthur shouted and I finally released the girl.  
"She..." I panted as Phillipa was sobbing. "She was inside her."

I wanted to say more, _needed_ to say more, but my world faded to darkness and I knew nothing else.


	8. Chapter 8

8.

~ I awoke to the comforts of my own bed in the morning. Hannibal was once more curled under the covers with me and I could see the protective hands of daylight wishing me to wake up.

It took me several seconds to recall where I was and what had occurred last night. I prayed that it had just been a dream. That Arthur and Mr. Cobb had not discovered me prying a demon from his daughter.

If it were real, I was sure to be dismissed before breakfast.

As soon as I sat up, however, I knew the events of last night had been real.

I was still wearing Arthur's beautifully made coat. I remember distinctly taking it off before going to bed, and then putting it back on when my door opened.

It had all been unfortunately real. I had gone into the children's rooms and assaulted poor Phillipa. It was like the incident with Laurel, I would be dismissed and sent away. Only this time, without a train ticket to a new vocation.

Hannibal stirred awake beside me and looked at me with his lovely brown eyes.  
"At least you still love me." I told him as I kissed him on his wet nose.

I dressed in my best traveling clothes and went downstairs with Hannibal. The dog padding along contently as I clutched Arthur's coat in my arms.

I took long, luxurious smell of the coat, hoping to catch a hint of my friend on it. But could only faintly pick up the hint of a good cologne and aftershave. Mostly the coat smelled of Hannibal and myself.

I avoided the kitchen where I sensed Mrs. Reynolds was too busy to talk, and peeked into the dinning room. It was empty and clean.

I wondered what time it was and knew the nearest clock was at my former desk in the little classroom.

I felt sure no one would be in there, I needed to secure my art portfolio anyway, and entered.

To my great shock, I saw Arthur and the children at lessons. The master of the house teaching the children French in a tongue that was ten times more fluent than mine.  
"Miss Bishop!" Phillipa cried happily when she saw me.

The little girl looked well rested and pleased to see me.  
"Only I had the worst dream imaginable!" she cried as she hugged me. "I dreamed monsters were watching me sleep but they were so afraid of you! I cried for you and cried for you and you came and scared them away! Then daddy wouldn't let me see you and said you were sick. I'm so glad you're better, what a crazy dream!"

He words were very fast as James jumped off his seat and raced to hug me as well.  
"Oh, darling." I cried with a sudden happiness. "It was just a dream, yes." I said as the girl seemed to have no memory of the horrible things she had to endure.

I saw Arthur standing up. His hands going to his pocket as he looked almost pleased for the first time since we had met.  
"The strange things we dream." he said as I directed the children back to their lesson.

Arthur completed his lesson on French history using many French words he made the children repeat and write down.  
"Miss Bishop will take over for now." he told them as he lazily talked over the hundred years war. "I have things I must attend to."

~ I could barely sit still with wondering what had happened.  
"Oh, children I think I would like you to write the words Mr. Brahman provided for you and use them in a sentence. Phillipa, will you help your brother?" I asked.

The girl nodded as I followed Arthur out of the classroom.  
"Sir," I started to say and took a deep breath.

"Arthur." he corrected me gently. "We're alone now, Ariadne."

"Arthur," I said carefully. "I know I need to explain what happened last night."

"I think so." he said. His face open to my side of the story.  
"Last night... well... the doors opened by themselves, and I wandered out into the halls." I said guiltily.  
"As did Hannibal." Arthur said as he nodded to the dog at my side.

"Well, yes he did join me. I went to check on the children and at first found them sleeping. Then I went to close the curtains, when I turned around I saw Phillipa... only she... well she wasn't Phillipa anymore." I said in a whisper.

Arthur nodded and said nothing.

At last he looked at me.  
"I awoke to shouting and found every door in my hallway open. Myself, Mr. Cobb and Mr. Eames raced to the nursery, where we heard the shouting coming from. We saw an unnatural snow storm spilling in from open windows and for a moment, I swear James..." he said looking troubled. "His face was..."

"Possessed." I finished for him.  
"I don't believe in possession or spells." he said logically. "It was a trick of the light I'm sure. But Phillipa insisted monsters were watching her sleep and you saved her."

"What happened after the thing left her?" I asked.

"You fainted dead away." Arthur told me. I carried you back to your room and you've been asleep since. It's almost midday, so I felt I should carry on with your lessons. No need to let the children down because you took ill helping them."

"Sir, are you going to dismiss me?" I asked worriedly.  
"No." he said curtly. "And I told you, when we're alone to call me Arthur."

"Thank you, sir- I mean Arthur." I said feeling me cheeks grow hot.

"Is that my coat on the bannister there?" he questioned.  
"Oh, yes it is." I said feeling relived. "I'm sorry, I feel asleep while wearing it, what with Hannibal beside me last night, I'm afraid it smells like me and the dog."  
"There are worse smells." he said casually as he brushed off the dog hair and placed it back in the closet. From the closet he came back with a large box wrapped carefully with a blue ribbon.  
"I took the liberty, I hope you don't think it too forward." he said.  
"Who's it for?" I asked expecting a present for Phillipa or James.  
"You. Open it." he commanded.

I gaped at him. I was expecting to be harshly lectured and dismissed. Not praised and given presents.  
I pulled off the beautiful bow of the first gift I could ever remember receiving.

Inside the department store box was a magnificent ladies coat.

It was a black long coat with finely embroidered flowers in white on the lapels. It even had fur around the collar and cuffs of the arms.

"Do you like it?" he asked as my hands roamed over the rich, thick fabric. My heart so in love with this thing I dared not speak.  
"There's more." he added as I breathed in the smell of it's newness.

New! It was beautiful and _new_!

I looked in the box and saw a pair of finely stitched ladies gloves. Fashionable and charming with large buttons that closed them over the hands and more fur to protect against the chill.  
"Arthur, I can't accept these." I whispered as these items no doubt cost him more then my pay for the year.

"You can and you will." Arthur said curtly. "I despise seeing a woman ill provided for. A coat is a simple matter to attend to and if it will help you fend off the cold, all the better. Besides, I'll be needing my own coat soon." he said.

"Arthur." I whispered.  
"Try it on." he ordered. "I want to make sure it fits."

I couldn't help but want to see how the luxury of clothing would feel on me and so I complied to his demands. After all, what did it hurt simply try it on?

The coat fit perfectly over my small body and as I caught a glimpse of myself in the hall mirror, I was amazed at how grown up I looked.

"I think a white scarf will compliment it nicely, Arthur mused as I delighted in the feel of the new gloves. Gloves! Not mittens, but actual _gloves_!  
"Arthur, I can't accept this. It's too much." I told him. As I said it, I knew in my heart I had no plans to part with my new possessions. I loved it as fiercely as I loved anything.

"Don't tell me how to spend my money, Miss Bishop. Like I said, I find it offensive you came to me with such inadequate winter clothing. No more arguments about the matter. This is your coat and if I like, I'll have a scarf made to go with it." he said.

I opened my mouth to argue more but closed it at his harsh look.

"Mr. Cobb seems to think you're a hero for what you did last night. If I believed in such hokum, I might agree. At any rate, I bought the coat yesterday afternoon for you." he said curtly.

I felt the clanking of my broken heart mend slightly at the gift and his kind words.  
"I'll accept it then." I whispered.

"And I will once more attempt the keep Hannibal at bay, and out of your room. I'm afraid he insisted after last nights disturbance." he said looking at the handsome beast.

"I'm sure he did." I told him.  
"However, if the doors are opening on their own, I'm not sure what we can do." he added.  
"Or what we can expect tonight." I added.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

~ "Tell me how you learned French so well." I asked him that afternoon over our noon meal.

Arthur was correct in that Mr. Eames only came around like a ungrateful house cat wanting some food and giving nothing in return.  
"I've always loved the French, ever since I was very young." Arthur told me as we ate. "My mother's people came from France and I always thought they spoke so eloquently."

"Yes, Arthur learned French poetry and sonnets simply to meet girls. That's my theory." Eames said brashly.

I said nothing as the two men glared at one another. Arthur with his darkening scowl, Eames with an aggravating smirk.  
"I'm afraid, sir, that you've put my French lesson plan to shame." I admitted sadly. "I just have them learning basic manners in the French language. You were teaching them French history in the native tongue."

"He want's you to call him Arthur." Eames interjected. "He likes it when you call him Arthur."

I felt myself blush hotly as the two men glowered at each other again. Something told me Mr. Eames was not in Arthur's confidence and that perhaps he really _was_ clairvoyant.  
"Miss Bishop. Good manners are important in any language." Arthur said after nervously clearing his throat. "I'm hopeless at teaching or learning good manners or civil behavior. It's up to you to teach them these things."  
I was about to argue when Hannibal whined at my feet for a scrap of food.  
"Hannibal! Out!" Arthur shouted.

"It's alright." I said readying a nice piece of bread with gravy to give to him.  
"No, it's not. He's become too spoiled since your arrival." Arthur said and stood.

He took Hannibal by the collar and lead him into the kitchen for the duration of our meal.  
"He likes you." Eames said once Arthur was gone.  
"I've never had a dog so taken with me." I said, even though I knew precisely what he meant.  
"Not the dog. Arthur." he said. "You think the dog is in love with you? Try the master."

"I hardly think-"  
"Arthur is a good man; a steady man." Eames mused as I tried to protest. "You could certainly do worse in life than him. I don't foresee him being cruel to you for any reason. I see you and Arthur, and the dog, very happy. I can see all of it just as I see you sitting here. He's reading a newspaper, you're doing a bit of sewing with that dog next to you. You'll never feel cold again." he added as an afterthought.

"Mr. Eames, Arthur is a wealthy man. I'm just a poor governess hired to care for his friend's children." I protested.  
"You and I both know Cobb won't live through this." Eames said.

"I do not know that, sir." I said angrily.

Eames put up his hands in surrender and finished his meal as soon as Arthur returned.  
"I'm sorry about the dog, Miss Bishop." Arthur said as he seated himself once more.  
"Don't feel sorry for Hannibal, Ariadne." Eames said as he caught my expression. "He get's to sleep with you at night. The rest of us males have to sleep alone."

~ I felt an odd contentment pass between myself and Arthur after our meal. I gave the children their math instruction, their reading assignments and art work to keep occupied. This allowed me to have some liberty to go over the generous books in the classroom. I was shocked to discover Darwin's Origin of Species on the shelves and was quick to set it aside for later reading.

My previous employers had thought Mr. Darwin to be deeply sacrilegious and banned all topics surrounding his theories.

After the children were released from my care to pursue their own interests, I settled myself to read this forbidden book.

I was deeply immersed in Mr. Darwin's travels to the Galapagos islands when Hannibal found me. His master not far off.  
"I was wondering if you were still here. You don't have to stay cloistered in the school room all day, Ariadne." he admonished me.  
"It's not a self punishment, Arthur. I promise." I said as I held up my illicit reading material.

"Ah, Mr. Darwin and his research. Fascinating and obvious don't you think?" he said as he took a seat next to my desk.  
"How it is obvious, sir?" I asked.

"Well, it's obvious we're capable of evolving. Not just humans but other animals. No matter what these politicians scream at us. I mean look at the ancient civilizations. We've evolved since the golden age of Rome and the dark ages. Yet, officials claim man has always been exactly as he is now. They won't even hear of talk of evolution."

He looked at me worriedly.

"Unless you agree with them?" he asked.  
"Oh no, I think you're right." I told him hurriedly. "I think there are many explanations to things. Not just one groups opinions."

I bit my lip as I fought against my better judgment. Arthur nodded and looked over some of his more scientific books. He retrieved a large book with beautifully done water colorings of plants and animals.

"A Mr. Saito of Japan, a gentleman I've met only once, is planning an expedition to South America next year. He wants to study the primates there and possibly photograph them in their natural habitat. If he succeeds, it will be a triumph. No one has ever done it before." he said. "It's all well and good to study birds, but primates are what we need to link up the evolutionary scale."

I gasped as I looked at the lovely water colorings of a strange monkey with eyes bigger than an owl's. Another almost looked like a jungle cat. Another like a skunk.  
"There are so many of them." I laughed at one with a big nose.

"Yes, I wanted to go with him. Saito and I get along very well when we travel. That's important, to get along well when you travel. Unfortunately, Mr. Cobb's situation has rendered me immobile at present." he told me.  
"Do you think these things we've been seeing at night can be explained by science?" I asked.  
"Yes. Mass group hysteria is possible. It's been documented and there have been cases. Just because we can't explain it, doesn't mean it's unexplainable." he said.

"What about me? The things I've seen." I ventured tentatively.  
"You..." he mused. "Might just be another process of evolution."

His face twitched into a smile and I realized he was merely teasing me.

"My family wouldn't have agreed with you." I said sadly. "When they realized I would never be the daughter they wanted, I was sent away. I spent years in school where I had no friends and I've always been treated like I'm cursed."

Arthur said nothing for a long time.

"It's their folly." he said at last. "A person can not help who he is. I don't condemn Hannibal for being a dog, or Eames for being useless. They are who they are. I wouldn't make any apologies for that."

"It's easy for you to say." I laughed without thinking. "You have protection of wealth and social standing. I have none."

I realized belatedly what I had said and looked at Arthur; fearing the worst.  
He was looking at his hands.  
"I won't deny these things give me an advantage, Miss Bishop." he said humbly.

He looked at if he wanted to say something more but Hannibal whined up at me. My attention focused on Arthur and not the handsomer creature who nuzzled my hands for affection.

"If you'll excuse me." Arthur muttered as he stood and quit the room.

~ All too soon, night came around again. Already there was a creeping sound coming from the floorboards as I hurried to put the children to bed. I made sure the windows were locked tightly this time, and brought Hannibal with me to search the nursery for things that hid from us.

"I'm scared to go to sleep." Phillipa said as an ominous feeling was settling over the house. Whatever was going to happen, would happen quite soon.

"I know you are. But there isn't anything in the darkness that isn't there in the light." I told her. Even though we both knew that wasn't true.  
"I'm afraid of her." Phillipa whispered.  
"Who's her?" I asked as I tucked the child into her bed.  
Phillipa looked worried.  
"Mommy." she said at last.

"Phillipa, your mother has lately passed away. She's gone to her eternal rest like your father told you about." I tried to reassure her.

My ardent hope was that this child would not suspect the demon was her mother come to do her harm.  
"I'm still afraid. Afraid of all she did before she died." Phillipa said fearfully.  
"What did she do before she died?" I asked. My skin prickling with the child's worry.  
Phillipa looked to her already sleeping brother, and sat up out of bed a little. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she whispered in my ear.  
"Mommy locked us in our rooms and started the fire. Daddy saved us, but mommy started the fire."


	10. Chapter 10

10.

~ I felt a strange force roll over in me as I walked down the stairs to the parlor from the nursery. Cobb's wife had locked her precious children in their room and attempted to burn them alive. Why would she do such a thing? What sort of madness had made the woman to act so?

Why was she still haunting them and Mr. Cobb? Why was she still hurting them?

I was so engrossed in my own thoughts that I wholly forgot myself in my wanderings. I didn't even hear Arthur speaking to me as I realized I was in the parlor.  
"I want to go back under again." I announced dramatically. "I want you to hypnotize me."

"No." Arthur said sternly. "Last night was too much, especially after what followed."

"I'll be more prepared." I promised.  
"No. Cobb, this has to stop. Whatever we're doing, I think we're only aggravating it. These occurrences are growing far more violent with each passing day since she's arrived." Arthur argued.

"Do you want to send her away?" Eames asked.  
"No, but-."

"If you want to go under again, Ariadne. I'll guide you." Cobb interrupted.

~ "This is your safe place, Ariadne. A place of warmth and light. A place that other people can not enter." Cobb was saying gently.

I was breathing deeply as his voice lulled me into a trance. A felt my body grow tired as my mind walked the streets outside, up the front steps to the house, and into the parlor. Like before, I saw my sleeping self in the chair. Arthur, Cobb and Eames surrounding me. Hannibal jumped and wagged his tail happily atseeing me arrive.

"How does the dog know?" Arthur asked as the three men looked away from my sleeping body and at the direction Hannibal was staring at.

"Ariadne, this place is your anchor, journey as you please." Cobb said before everything vanished and I was left alone in a cold and empty house.

"Hello?" I called out. A ghastly echo reverberated through the starkly still rooms as I felt myself float.

Crying. I heard crying coming down the servants hall and, my curiosity aroused, I went to see what the trouble was.  
I needn't have been shocked to discover Mrs. Robinson seated at her little chair by the fire. The stout woman weeping in her apron.  
"Mrs. Robinson?" I asked.

"Oh, it's you." she said drying her face and smoothing out her apron. "What do you want?"

"I came to check on you. I heard you crying." I said as I noticed my voice sounded strange to me. As if it echoed around in two places at once.

"That's kind of you, miss." she said as she stood up and made herself more presentable. "No one has asked about my health in a long time."

I wanted to tell her the reason. Wanted to explain about her passing, but how could she believe me?

"I think they always assume you're well. You're so dependable and steady." I offered instead.  
"Well, I haven't been very steady her of late!" she bellowed as she went to prepare tea. "All these uninvited guests roaming about biting at corners and talking about fire and whores. It's got me rattled I can tell you." she said holding back another sob.  
"Who says these things?" I asked.

"That woman." Mrs. Robinson whispered. "I dare not say more, miss. She has control of this house now."

The stout woman nodded to the door that went into the dinning room. I looked back to the cook to discover she was gone. The kitchen clean and empty as though she never existed.

~ I wandered into the dinning room. Moonlight casting it's unfriendly glow over the nothingness of the room. I almost screamed when I saw a woman standing there.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked me simply.

I tried to think. She was no demon at all. She was a regally lovely woman. Her height was tall and her body delicate. Her face was expressive and spoke of perfection as she looked at me curiously.

"My name is..." I floundered.  
"I know who you are." she interrupted. Her eyes looking over me as if I had no right in invade her world. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just... trying to understand." I whispered as the room turned colder.

I noticed her fashionable dress that hugged her body as she circled me like a cat about to pounce on a mouse.  
"How could you understand?" she asked. "How could you understand what is means to be so betrayed?"

"Betrayed?" I repeated. "Who... who betrayed you?"

Mal said nothing as she moved lazily away from me. Her long, swan like, arms opening a door to reveal a bedroom, well lit and in use by a couple.  
"No! Mal, No!" came a voice I recognized too well.  
"I had come home early." Mal said in her dream like voice. "Dom wasn't expecting me home for another day."

I averted my gaze as I realized Cobb had been in bed with another woman. Arthur's friend embarrassingly covering himself and the girl he was with as he tried to explain his infidelity.

"I found them in bed together." she said bitterly as the doors to the bedroom slammed shut before Cobb could leave it.

"Is that why you tried to kill your children?" I asked.

My sudden bravery finding me.  
"_Ariadne, come back!_" I heard Cobb's voice in the real world.  
"I will take from him, all he has stolen from me." Mal said. Her voice dangerous as her eyes suddenly turned to bright, angry fire.  
"Not the children. Why did you hurt the children?" I whispered. My senses telling me Cobb and the others were able to hear what I said and were not happy about it.

"You started the fire." I accused. "Why?"

"_Ariadne, come back to the parlor._" Cobb commanded from the rafters of the empty house.  
"To hurt him. To show him what real hurt is like. He wanted his freedom from me and his children, I gave it to him." she hissed as her skin began to blacken from burns.  
"He saved the children. He saved them from the fire and left you to die." I said. "He had a choice of saving you or the children, and he left you to burn in the house."

"I wanted all of us to go together." Mal whispered. "We can be happy in heaven."

"No." I said as a fire raceed through the dinning room and quickly went up the stairs.

"No!" I screamed as the demon was laughing at me.

I fled from the dinning room and went back to the parlor. My slumbering body waiting for me as I heard Cobb shouting now.

~ I gasped as I returned to the real world and realized Cobb was shaking me awake.  
"Ariadne!" he growled at me angrily. "What did you do?"

Arthur was pushing Cobb off of me.  
"Stop it, Cobb." he said roughly as I was gasping for air.

"Whatever she told you, was a lie!" Cobb snarled. Gone was the kind man I had met before.  
"Cobb!" I cried out as I remembered all that Mal had shown me. "Mal started the fire that killed her. She tried to kill herself and the children to punish you!"

"What?" Arthur asked in shock. "Punish him for what?"

"For his unfaithfulness. She locked the children in their rooms and started the fire. Cobb saved them and left her to die. That's why she's so angry! She wants her revenge. She wants the children to cross over to where she is, and you to suffer!" I cried.  
"No!" Cobb shouted. "I loved my wife!"

But the instant he said it, I knew all Mall had showed me was true.

"You brought this plague on yourself Cobb!" I cried. "You're responsible for the thing that wants to kill those children!"

With an unforgiving hatred, Cobb slapped me across the face so hard, I fell back into the chair.  
"Cobb!" Arthur shouted and pushed his friend away. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"She's lying!" Cobb shouted. "She lies!"

"I smell smoke." Eames said softly as the room fell ominously quite.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

~ "Fire!" Arthur shouted as we saw the smoke wafting from the upstairs rooms.

I pushed past Cobb and Arthur and I raced up the stairs to the children's room. I knew instinctively, Mal had started this. That she was attempting to finish her work, and destroy all happiness her husband had.

"Ariadne!" Arthur was shouting at me as Hannibal was barking wildly.

"The children!" I shouted. "She's after the children!"

I burst into the nursery to find that flames were licking the walls and the children were still asleep; unaware of the fire that was about to consume them.

"Children!" I screamed as I was certain I saw a figure, burned and black crouched in the corner. A smile on her face as she watched her evil deeds unravel.

"Mal!" came an angry shout from the door as I roused Phillipa awake. I looked to see Cobb bursting into the room and looked angrily for the person responsible.  
"No more of your witchcraft, woman!" he bellowed at me as Phillipa was screaming at the sight of the fire.  
I pushed the child out of bed as James awoke from the noise and started to cry. I felt a fear of Mr. Cobb I had not know before. I feared what he might do now that I knew the truth.  
"Go!" I shouted. "Go downstairs and get out!"

Phillipa took hold of her brother's hand as I could hear shouting from below of the servants and the dog barking.

Cobb set upon me then. He strong body overpowering mine in an instant as I tried to get away.  
"You're a lair!" he shouted as the room burned around us and the children ran to safety.  
"Let me go!" I shouted as I tried to push him off. His large hands were around my neck as I was trapped with him in the fire.  
"You lie!" he shouted again as the fire burned out of control.  
"Dom?" came a sweet voice as I choked on the smoke from the fire.

Cobb turned, trance like, to see Mal. Her beauty unmarked by fire or burns.

"Mal?" he whispered as he let me go.

I fell to the floor and managed to crawl away as the smoke felt like acid in my lungs.

"Mal?" Cobb said in a dream like voice as I lay coughing on the floor.  
"Cobb!" I gasped and coughed again. "She's... she's not real!"

I watched in horror as the two lovers reached for each other.

I had to get away. The smoke was horrible and the heat was excruciating.  
"Ariadne!" came Arthur's voice from the door as he and another servant were attempting to bring buckets of water to the room. Trying to stop the fire from burning the house down.

Two male servants were tossing water on the walls and floor to stop the spread as Arthur reached into the smoke and pulled me out.  
"Her dress sir!" one man shouted as I realized my heavy black skirts were home to flames as well.

Arthur was quick to stop out the flames on my skirts as I was coughing and choking.

"The... the children?" I gasped as the servants were doing a bucket brigade up the stairs to fight the flames.  
"Outside with Hannibal. Go look after them." Arthur ordered as he helped me to stand.  
I nodded and tried to stop coughing as Arthur joined his staff in the bucket brigade to stop the fire. A cloth handkerchief over his face as the smoke was wafting out of the windows and I could hear a fire bell going off down the street.

The children were waiting outside in the snow, being looked after by a few of Arthur's neighbors. Their scared little faces were very pale as spectators took in the view of Arthur's fine home in danger of burning down. Hannibal even looked scared as he saw me emerge from the smoke filled house.  
"Miss Bishop!" Phillipa cried as James was in tears.

I went to them and like puppies, they curled into my arms.  
"I was so scared!" Phillipa cried as the dog, hating to be ignored, licked my face.

~ Other men in the neighborhood helped to arrest the fire which was mercifully contained to the upstairs nursery.

As dawn crept over the sky, the fire brigade arrived and Arthur, Eames and the other men, gave over the task of fighting it.

My friend looked worried and beaten by the task of saving his home. He walked out onto the new snow looking ready to collapse.  
"It's out." he whispered to me as we sat together in the cold morning.

"You and the staff acted quickly. We're able to save the house." I told him.

"They found Cobb's body in the nursery." he said as we watched the men shifting out rubble from the burnt out room.

"I'm sorry Arthur." I said.  
"I knew Cobb was unfaithful to Mal." he admitted as a neighbor woman took James and Phillipa into her home for food and rest. "I never said anything to her, but she suspected."

"You knew the reason why she was haunting him." I concluded as he held my hand and we watched the firemen bringing a body wrapped in a white sheet out of the house.

"I never knew Mal was after her own children. How her anger could be that... final." Arthur mused.

We watched the men put Cobb's burnt body in a cart, and a team of horses drive away.  
Eames came out of the house next, looking worn out and cranky from the job of battling flames.  
"She's gone now." he announced as the other neighbors had dispersed and the three of us were alone in the yard. "You can go in yourself, Ariadne. But this house is clean." he gave a little shrug to all the suit and grime in the hallway. "I mean, metaphorically."

"It's true, I don't feel or see anything." I said sadly. "She got her revenge."

"How horrible it was." Arthur muttered.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

~ A month passed with no sign of the demon or any other specters other than Mrs. Robinson. Arthur had finally completed arrangements for Phillipa and James to live with Cobb's sister in Boston. They were excited about the prospect of living with their cousins and aunt.

I however, felt a little let down at the prospect of their leaving me.

It had been a peaceful month after the fire had almost destroyed the nursery. Arthur helped me instruct the children in French and history, and I helped them in math and art.

It was a lovely time, and felt almost like a family for me.  
~ "I would have liked to have taken them." Arthur mused as we packed up the remains of the house for storage. "But they wanted to go with their aunt."

Repairs were underway to the nursery, but the house was still livable despite the tragic fire.

"I want to thank you, Arthur." I said with shaky breath. "I'll be able to find a good post as a governess with the letter of reference you've promised."

I had to keep reminding my friend of his promise of reference after it became clear I would no longer had pupils to teach.  
"About that." Arthur said uncomfortably. "I've... I've been meaning to discuss that with you."

I felt a stab of fear hit in my breast bone. He wasn't going to give me a reference. He was unhappy with my teaching and wouldn't soil his own name with recommending me.

"I don't know what your plans are for the future, Miss. Bishop." he said clearing his throat. "But I've a letter from my friend; Mr. Saito plans to journey to South America in three months time. He says there is a teaching post for the natives there. A small school which will focus on English, math, reading and writing. Basic things to make the interaction between them and visitors easier."

"Sounds interesting." I said feeling my cheeks blush hotly. '_Why was it so warm in here?_'

"I hope you don't mind, but I've recommended you for the post." Arthur told me. "We could journey together and you can teach school, while I explore the primates of South America with Mr. Saito."

"We could do that." I said not looking at him. Instead, I focused all my energy on rearranging some books that were to be crated and shipped.

"Yes, but would be unseemly to travel together in our current situation." he added as he avoided looking at me. Keeping likewise occupied as he picked over which books he wanted and which he would put in storage.  
"Our_ situation_?" I asked innocently.  
"Yes, it would been unseemly for an unmarried couple to travel together. I wouldn't want your name tarnished, Miss Bishop." Arthur admitted.  
"I see."

"I think it would be a good thing for both of us to be married. We could look after one another on our travels and no mention of scandal would cross anyone's lips." he said.  
"Very good plan." I offered.

"It's only a good plan if you agree to it." he said as he dusted off a book that was already free of dust.

"I might agree to it." I offered feeling a bright light of happiness. "I feel I'm the sort who would value a good husband."

"I fell I'm the sort who would value a good wife." Arthur admitted. "This bachelorhood is far over rated and I've spent too long in it's lonely company. I think a wife, God willing a family, would cheer me."

"Even if that wife sees things others can't?" I asked as my eyes caught the shadow of Mrs. Robinson leaving the kitchen for the root cellar. No doubt preparing for dinner.  
"All the more reason to marry her." Arthur mused.

He looked at me then. Affection and hope in his eyes.  
"I know you might think ill of me and men in general after what happened with Mr. Cobb. But I assure you, I'm not the same sort. I'm a man who is inherently very loyal to all the things I love." he said.  
"Like strawberry tarts." I said with a smile.  
"Yes." he laughed. "Will you be my wife?" he asked at last. "I can only promise I will love you and provide well for you. I'm sure I won't be the most favorable of husbands at times, but I'll be a more favorable man if you say yes."

I pretended to think it over.  
"I suppose if you'll give me no reference, I might as well marry you." I said at last.

Arthur looked pleased as we packed our books for the journey.

~ It was on the train out of New York that I noticed the thing had finally happened. Perhaps it had happened months ago, but I failed to realize it.

Arthur and I had lately married and were finally leaving New York for the ship to South America. We had been too excited to think of much else. Our trip coming so soon after our wedding. But as I was sitting in our private train compartment, I noticed Arthur was reading a newspaper and I was embroidering. I hit me then as Hannibal groaned a bored little sound that it was very warm in the compartment. The frost will still in the air, it being winter still and I should have been very cold. But my fine jacket with the white embroidery lay on the seat opposite us, unused.

'_I'm warm._' I thought suddenly and then laughed out loud in delight.

"What is it, dear?" Arthur asked as I realized Mr. Eames' prophecy had indeed come true.

"It's just... I'm warm now." I told him still laughing.

I gave my new husband my hand as proof and his brows raised up appreciatively.

"So you are." he said kissing my new wedding band.

Hannibal groaned again that I wasn't paying attention to him.

"Poor old thing." I smiled as I rubbed his head.  
"Yes, he has to sleep alone now. Most unfair." Arthur said triumphantly. His contest with the dog over my affections won.

Hannibal seemed to sense this and moved closer to me, wanting more attention.

"I hope you'll like South America." my husband said at last. "If not, we can always come back home. The house is finally done."

"I suppose Mrs. Robinson will be missing us." I added. "I had tried to make her understand that you no longer needed her, but she laughed me off. I suspect she might be in the kitchen still whenever we do return."

My new husband smiled at me and I felt his lips tickle my forehead.

My face flushed hot at the still new contact of his lips. My body feeling warmer still as the train took us away.

**~ END ~**

**Saw "Life of Pi" wonderful movie! Easily the most beautiful movie I've ever seen! **


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